FEMA opens in-person assistance centers for St. Louis County

By WDIO

A FEMA/State Disaster Recovery Center will open in Virginia on Friday to help St. Louis County residents with damage done to property during severe storms on June 16 through July 4.

Earlier this week, the U.S. Small Business Administration opened a Business Recovery Center at the Cook Fire/Ambulance Hall, 111 Second Street SE in Cook, Minnesota.

The Disaster Recovery Center will be in the St. Louis County Public Works facility, 7823 Highway 135 in Virginia and will be open seven days a week from 7:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. FEMA Public Affairs Specialist, Kim Keblish says all appointments will be on a first come, first served basis.

“Having a physical location for people to get help from trained professionals is a great resource for our residents,” Commissioner Paul McDonald, whose district was hardest hit by the June 18 storm said in a release. “Having all three agencies in one place is especially helpful because it functions like a triage. For instance, a person may not be eligible for a particular type of assistance but can immediately be referred to other programs for which they do qualify.”

The center will be staffed by FEMA representatives, as well as the state of Minnesota and the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA).

St. Louis residents will be able to:

  • Get help applying for federal disaster assistance
  • Upload documents
  • Get their questions answered in person
  • Access other types of help that may be available
  • Learn ways to make their property more disaster resistant.

According to a release from FEMA, federal financial assistance is available for eligible homeowners and renters in the form of grants to cover costs of temporary housing and home repairs, low-interest loans to cover uninsured property losses, and other programs to help individuals recover from the effects of the disaster.

The Business Recovery Center in Cook is open Monday – Friday, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Saturdays, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Residents can schedule an appointment through the SBA website at appointment.sba.gov. Walk-in appointments are available on a first come, first served basis.

Both of the staffed sites will remain open until further notice.